Her work has become a lesson in self-esteem that has taken off on social media.

Semra said her teacher liked her work. When her mother, Kali Young, saw the project at parent-teacher conferences, she liked it, too.

"We had expected her to write about her school or cats or dog, and then she wrote that she loved her body and drew a picture of her body," said Kali Young. "So at first, we laughed. But then we stopped and thought about how much that meant to us, that she really was confident in who she was as a person, both on the inside and the outside."

Semra doesn't understand what the fuss is about, but her message about body image has made an impact. Her mother said it should teach everyone about being good role models.

"Whether it's being confident in yourself or just being cognizant of the words you choose to use when you're talking about yourself and others and being aware there are little ears listening at all times," she said. "We're really setting the example for them as they grow up."

Kali Young said Semra's grandmother shared the paper on social media, so she was caught a little off guard by all the attention. She said five magazines have already contacted her about her daughter's take on body image.